About one-third of U.S. residents are “cooking with gas.”” Natural gas stoves are common, but research shows that they can pose health risks. Brady Seals is with the Rocky Mountain Institute, an environmental think tank. She says natural gas stoves can produce toxic indoor air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, which can harm people’s lungs, and [...]

Vaccine advisors for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today recommended emergency use authorization [EUA] for Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine, clearing one of the last hurdles before immunization is set to begin within days for the first groups to receive it—healthcare workers and nursing home residents. The FDA typically follows the recommendations of its independent Vaccines and [...]

Although the country is in the midst of the darkest period of the coronavirus pandemic, with emergency authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine imminent and distribution of initial doses expected to start this month, the beginning of the end is starting to come into focus. Today a panel of experts that advises the Food and Drug Administration [...]

With the nation awaiting word on emergency use authorization (EUA) for a COVID-19 vaccine and the promise of an eventual end to the pandemic, the current US surge in new infections continues unabated, filling hospitals and pushing the daily death toll to new highs. Globally, COVID-19 cases continue to spike in most regions of the world, [...]

The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) launched the “Stop Swapping Air” public service messaging campaign this week in partnership with Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc., a New York–based national outdoor billboard advertising company. The phrase “Stop Swapping Air” was coined on an episode of the Osterholm Update: COVID-19 podcast, hosted by infectious disease expert [...]

Most German residents surveyed as part of a study published today in JAMA Network Open said they prefer COVID-19 public health messaging that acknowledges scientific uncertainty, suggesting that admitting to incomplete knowledge fosters public trust and motivates compliance. Published as a research letter by investigators from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, the study involved [...]

What does an anti-inflammatory diet do? Your immune system becomes activated when your body recognizes anything that is foreign—such as an invading microbe, plant pollen, or chemical. This often triggers a process called inflammation. Intermittent bouts of inflammation directed at truly threatening invaders protect your health. However, sometimes inflammation persists, day in and day out, even [...]

Researchers have developed an assay that can detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in a nasal swab using a device attached to an ordinary smartphone, they report in the journal Cell. Although more research is needed before such a test can be rolled out, the results are promising and ultimately may be applicable to screening more broadly [...]

In preparation for rising cases of COVID-19, the United States Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Defense (DoD) have purchased an additional 650,000 doses of Eli Lilly and Company’s investigational monoclonal antibody therapeutic, bamlanivimab. This puts the total number of treatment courses at 950,000 purchased, with the current 300,000 doses in the process of [...]

As the world deals with the ongoing chaos and death inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic, INTERPOL is warning of a new threat to global hopes: organized crime networks are targeting COVID-19 vaccines, both physically and online. In a global Orange Notice alert to the organization’s 194 member countries, INTERPOL stated that the pandemic has already spawned [...]